Inside Heartbeats
by Emerald 94
Summary: A missing scene between Ed & Greg set during "Between Heartbeats". My first attempt at a Flashpoint Fic - it's only 1000 words, read it & make me happy please? NOT SLASH


_AN: I discovered Flashpoint totally by accident and thanks to Netflix and Ion have managed to watch every episode at least once. Any way, this possible conversation popped into my head after re-watching Between Heartbeats. This is my first attempt at writing in the Flashpoint realm and the first time I've written anything that wasn't grad-school related in quite a while. I have a couple other missing scenes that are floating around in my head but I want confirmation that I've got the character's tone down first - review and encourage me, please?_

_**AS ALWAYS, FLASHPOINT DOESN'T BELONG TO ME AND NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!  
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Inside Heartbeats

by Vickiann Adams

The adrenaline had already started to subside. He could no longer feel the staccato beat of his heart at the base of his throat. Just because the rush had passed, didn't mean he felt any better. This was all his fault.

Ed Lane climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV and slammed the door as hard as he could. It wouldn't take Greg more than a minute to round the truck and open the driver's door, but a minute's solitude was better than nothing. Tossing his headset and radio on the dash, Ed closed his eyes and screamed. The tortured wail greeted Parker as he opened the driver's door.

"Eddie, none of this was your fault! This kid was out of his mind with grief, there was no other way this would end."

"Not my fault, huh? Is that what you're going to tell to the mother of that rookie cop who bled out on the sidewalk? Better yet, is that what you plan to tell Mr. Callahan when you tell him his daughter is fighting for her life? Don't you dare tell me this isn't my fault. It is ALL my fault."

"Eddie, aren't you the one famous for saying 'you can do everything right and still things go wrong?' This is the job we do, the risk is always there."

"Damn it, Greg, don't you dare negotiate me right now. There are two people in surgery right now and two more on their way to the morgue because of me. My bullet at First York did this."

Gripping the steering wheel much tighter than necessary, Parker calmed his breathing. He needed to listen, to keep Ed grounded. This was one of those events that had to be talked through or it would continue to rear its ugly head. Eddie needed to get through this before they debriefed, before they went to the hospital and before he saw Sophie and Clark. Based on traffic, that meant he had about twelve minutes to put his team leader and best friend back together again.

As the light changed from yellow to red, Greg took the opportunity to remove his own headset and radio. "Eddie, talk to me. Not as your boss but as a friend."

"What can I say, I shot that kid's father while he watched."

"As I recall, that kid's father was holding a hostage at gunpoint and threatening most of your team at the same time. I also remember the Scorpio call was mine, not yours. We work as a team - we don't do the lone wolf thing, we all have each other's backs."

"Really? Who had Jules' back while I was safely ensconced in the command truck? Who was watching that rookie's back while he walked on the sidewalk? What about the security guard where was his team? Damn it, I'm the team leader. It was me that he wanted, not Jules, me!"

"It could have been Jules that day, you know? She was Sierra One that day, not you. If the building plans had been accurate, the shot could have been hers."

"She's in surgery right now because of me! I know about her father, how do you think he's going to react to the news that she was shot by a crazed gunman in the shadow of the frigging clock tower? That the bullet that tore threw her side was meant for me?"

Greg tried to smile at his friend, they were five minutes from SRU headquarters, his time was almost up.

"The worst part of my job as Sargent is making the tough calls - every Scorpio command I give makes that bullet my responsibility. You just have better long distance aim than I do. The tough calls include the phone calls at the end of days like today. I don't know what I'm going to say to Jules's dad when I call him. The fact that he was a cop and that he knows just what we risk every day will make the call easier but in the end, I still have to tell him his daughter was shot. What I know for sure is that I'd much rather call Jules' dad and tell him she's going to be okay because she has her team behind her than to have to call Sophie and tell her you bled out on the sidewalk because you didn't trust your team to have your back when the time came."

"Damn it, Greg, what do I say to Jules the next time I see her?"

The question brought an unexpected smile, "Ask her how Braddock ended up with blue paint on his ear?"

Ed looked at his friend and boss with confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, Ed. Right now, I just don't know. I can promise you this, she doesn't need an apology and she doesn't need your sympathy; give her your support. Jules wouldn't be on Team One if she wasn't one of the best. She is not going to blame you for what happened and you shouldn't blame yourself either.

Now, can we go in and de-brief? I'd really like to get to the hospital before I call Jules' dad and I'm pretty sure my team leader was supposed to have left with his family on vacation hours ago."

Ed looked around the half dark parking lot of the SRU. "Thanks, Boss. I needed that."

Coming around the truck, Greg gave his team leader a pat on the shoulder. "I know, Buddy. I know."

"Hey, Greg?"

Parker stopped, almost worried about what was coming next. "Yeah?"

"What were you talking about, the paint on Braddock's ear? What paint?"

Greg shrugged as they reached the garage stairwell. "I'm not sure. I have a pretty good idea but after today, I'm not going there. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. Come on, Lane. Debrief - hospital - vacation, in that order!"

Ed smiled, "On it, Boss!"


End file.
